Nena Arias | December 26, 2022
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
(Isaiah 61:1-2)
Most of us celebrated Christmas in some form or fashion. We put forth some effort because deep within something tells us this event in history is important. Granted, far too many people only go through the motions of what is a formal holiday in our nation but what does it mean for us on the next day and forever—for the long haul?
The above verses quoted from the prophet Isaiah foretold of the ministry of Jesus close to 800 years prior to his coming. But that ministry was not just while he was here on earth. It continues to this day and that is the point of this article, to remind us of the wonderful Savior we have been given.
Jesus wasn’t just born for us to have a nice little story to tell. In this passage of Isaiah, he is clearly declaring and confirming his earthly purpose, which did not end with his earthly departure, on the contrary, it intensified, and God came to us in a whole new dimension that continues to this day.
Jesus came to establish and announce the defeat of the works of the devil and to establish a Kingdom of power and change, which is ongoing now through each born-again believer in Christ who is truly committed to the Father and his kingdom here on earth.
As time passes, in our Western Culture, it seems more and more people are leaving or rejecting the cultivation of their spiritual lives and banking everything on luck and materialism, claiming they have no need for “religion”. For many people that is what God is a mere religion. Some may wonder what the relevance is and why the need of a Savior today. At the very least, at Christmas our attention should be turned to the first six letters of the holiday: Christ. His birth changed the world. More than 2,000 years later it still has the power to change us today.
During his lifetime Christ performed many miracles. John 20:30 says, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book.”
Again, he says in John 21:25 “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”
The relevance of the birth of Jesus is still being experienced today. The evidence of the ministry of Jesus is described in: Isaiah 61:4-7 “They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; but you shall be called the priests of the Lord; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy.”
Jesus coming to fulfill His purpose means:
• ruins are restored – in lives and nations
• destruction repaired – he makes all things new
• lives are changed – a literal transformation takes place
• Treasures, riches, double honor, double prosperity, and
• joy!
How you define riches and prosperity might be a little different for some in the material world but not in the spiritual realm, this is good news for all who will accept the Christ of Christmas. He is very much relevant today!
The question is: is there evidence of the kingdom of the king born on Christmas in your life, purpose, and actions? If not, why not start living out the purpose of the king by joining Him in his ministry, he said we would do the same works he did and even greater; that we would enjoy the fruit of his promise. The coming of the king is great; the days following His arrival should be even better because now he is sitting at the right hand of the Father.
Jesus Christ still heals us today. As we exercise faith, repent, and follow Christ, we can experience his healing in our life. We are still rescued by Christ from sin and death. In him we find hope and healing. Even thousands of years later, the birth of Jesus Christ is still relevant in our lives today.